Back in my March column, I discussed submitting queries versus complete articles. If you recall, I gave a few examples of when a freelancer might submit a piece to a publication “on speculation” or “on spec” for short. Basically, that means the writer has no contract and no guarantee of payment or publication. Essays will usually only be considered on spec; and for timely travel stories and short pieces, it’s often in a writer’s best interest to write them first and then submit them.

Even though it’s always preferable to have a contract in hand before writing an article, there are perfectly legitimate reasons to write on spec. Let’s say you’ve nabbed an interview with an elusive subject—the Dalai Lama, maybe, or Brad Pitt. Chances are good that you’re going to be able to sell your piece somewhere, so it’s not a huge gamble to go ahead and write up the interview. This scenario brings up another point: always have backup markets in mind when writing on spec.

I currently have an essay under consideration at a national parenting magazine I’ve been dying to break into. I floated my idea past the editor before I wrote it, which is always a good idea if you can do it. She liked the concept, but said I’d need to submit the piece on spec. My essay is now making its way up the chain of editors. Of course I’m hoping it’s accepted, but if not I have at least three alternate markets in mind that might buy my essay.

When is it not a good idea to write on spec? If your piece is so specific to your intended market that you can’t think of another angle or publication that may buy it, it’s probably not worth it. If your op-ed is on a topic that’s going to be old news by the weekend, it may not be worth your time.

Sometimes, though, submitting a piece on spec can actually help you get your foot in the door. I pitched Self magazine a half dozen ideas that were shot down for various reasons. Then I submitted a first-person essay on female friendships. They bought it. Alas, it never ran. But I did get a big fat check for more than $1/word—and at the time, that was worth more to me than the clip. I firmly believe that Self purchased my essay because I submitted it on spec. After all, the piece was already written, so even as a new-to-them writer, I wasn’t much of a risk. Next time, maybe they’ll even publish my work!

Abigail Green (www.abigailgreen.com) is a freelance writer in Baltimore. Over the past 10 years, she has written about health, travel, weddings, business, education and more for national, regional and online publications including AOL, AAA World, Bride’s, Baltimore Magazine, Cooking Light and Health. Her latest project is raising her first child, which she chronicles in her blog: http://diaryofanewmom.blogspot.com/.

Boo! No sooner have you nestled into a fall routine when the pressure of the holidays begin to creep closer––and the thought of juggling the responsibilities of seasonal family activities with your own writing deadlines can really give you the willies.

The real treat as this crescendo of activity begins to build is the season’s rich writing material that can be turned into lucrative story ideas and land you lots of juicy assignments. The trick? Be ready to harvest the ideas, experiences and tips you discover in the midst of the holiday chaos by following these simple steps.

Be ready. Carry extra pens and notebooks to the apple dunking, costume parade and pilgrim feast. Jot down your ideas or impressions before you forget them and store them in an easy-to-reference spot.

Take photos. Despite your incredible writing style, a picture is worth a thousand words and might get you some extra attention with an editor when coupled with a query. Use the snapshots of your family’s apple picking adventure or pumpkin patch visit as credentials for your pitch.

Have fun in the name of research. Use the season as an excuse to do something you’ve always wanted to in the name of researching a story, such as: “How to throw a not-so-scary Halloween party” or “Leaf–pile jumping and other free outdoor fun for kids” or “Planning a family feast for fifty dollars or less.” Save receipts to write off expenses if you land an assignment based on your activities.

Take time to reflect. If you’re a die-hard journal-keeper, you already know the cathartic benefits of scribbling down the day’s events. But as a writer, the exercise will serve not only as release of the day’s stress, but also as a reference tool for essays, ideas and anecdotes for future assignments.

Sharon Miller Cindrich is a freelance writer whose work has been published nationally in magazines and newspapers around the country including The Chicago Tribune, Parents Magazine, and The Writer. She is a Contributing Editor at FamilyFun Magazine and writes a bimonthly humor column for West Suburban Living Magazine in the Chicago Suburbs. She is a regular contributor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Lifestyle section and Metroparent Magazine. Her book E-Parenting: Keeping Up with Your Tech-Savvy Kids is now out from Random House. Read more about Sharon at http://www.pluggedinparent.com/.

Since starting at Family Fun magazine eight years ago, Adrienne Stolarz has had what she calls the “classic, romantic story” of rising from intern to freelancer to full-time staff member. But a lot of hard work certainly helped her progress to the position of senior associate editor that she holds now. Here Stolarz talks about Family Fun and how freelance writers can make themselves valuable to editors who are looking for content to publish.

What department do you work on at Family Fun?
It’s a very popular department called Everyday Fun. It’s kind of a mini-magazine in and of itself, and so the experience of putting it together is kind of like the experience of putting together an entire magazine. I love working on it.

Do you work with new writers?
Yes. And we work with all kinds of freelancers who are not necessarily in the mainstream freelance world. We’re very idea-driven, so a lot of our contributors are niche contributors, people who have their own craft blogs or who may be food writers, or who have some other specialty.

What catches your attention in a query letter?
The art of the pitch is really in the first paragraph. Think of what interests you as a reader, because every writer is a reader. It doesn’t have to be a shocking idea, but it should be something that hooks you in and makes you want to read. It could also be an unusual angle on a very familiar story. I’ll usually know whether it will work for us after reading the first two lines.

Do you make assignments to freelance writers with whom you have no prior experience?
I do. We like to look for reliable pens who know our voice, and who can take an in-house generated concept and grow it into an actual piece that we want to print. We especially look to our contributing writers for longer pieces.

Do you prefer to receive mailed letters or e-mail queries?
I personally prefer e-mail queries, but I request that writers give me four to six weeks to respond. We are inundated with queries. A lot of them are very pertinent, but we only do ten issues a year.

What happens if you read an idea you like, but you can’t use it at the moment?
If it’s an idea that we know is going to fit we’ll often buy it immediately. If it’s an idea we think may fit for a feature or for a department in the future, we’ll sometimes tell the freelancer, “Listen, we love this idea and we’re going to hold it for consideration. We only ask that if you pitch it elsewhere and it’s accepted that you let us know so we can pull it from our consideration pile.”

If you get a query that you believe is more appropriate for someone else in house, do you pass it along?
Always. It happens a lot because our content is not homogenous. We do crafts in departments, we do crafts in features…so there can be a lot of overlap.
Is there one main thing you think is important for freelance writers to know?
My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you know the magazine. And I don’t mean be a subscriber for 10 years before you pitch. Look at the last six months’ worth of issues if you can. Get an idea of what we cover, specifically what we’ve already covered, because we do get a lot of duplicate queries. Also know who our audience is. Always refer to the writer’s guidelines, because they usually give pretty detailed descriptions of what each department looks for.

We’re short staffed, which means we have to use every moment. We can’t really waste time with someone who doesn’t know our content or who is not pitching us the right kind of content. It’s really like “know your audience,” where your audience is your editor. You can also find a lot of useful information in the media guide.
What is the media guide?
The media guide is a great resource for freelancers. Basically, it’s a profile of our demographic that we give to advertisers. But it also is a really good resource for freelancers, because it lets them know who the magazine’s readership is. It can help a freelancer decide how to hone the idea and the pitch to the audience we’re targeting. You can call the main reception line of most magazines and ask how to get a media kit, or you may be able to find it online. It’s a great resource on top of the writer’s guidelines.

Cindy Hudson writes for national trade magazines, regional magazines, online publications and daily newspapers. Her Web site, www.motherdaughterbookclub.com, and its companion blog, www.motherdaughterbookclub.wordpress.com, publishes reading lists, book reviews, author interviews and other book club resources. She lives with her husband and two daughters in Portland, Oregon, where she writes weekly for The Oregonian. Visit her online atwww.cindyhudson.com.

Writer-preneur: Building Your Writing Career Using Technology
By Gregory A. Kompes

When you think of advertising, print ads in magazines and newspapers, commercials on TV and radio, and billboards probably come to mind. When you think Internet, advertising options like banner ads, pop-ups and Goggle AdWords or other pay-per-click options might come to mind. There’s a better, free way to advertise. Let’s start with a few facts.

Live Journal polled Internet users asking why they purchase books. Here are the top results: a familiarity with the author’s work (99%); read about the book on a Web site and blog by someone other than the author (80%); read about the book on the author’s Web site and blog (65%); read the first chapter online (63%), and, read an electronic (or print) book review (56%). Down at the bottom of the list were postcards and mailings, gifts, gimmicks and contests.

The poll results indicate that Internet technology sells books. People buy books because they believe the authors are credible sources of information and because they’ve read about the author online. This month we’re going to look at a simple way you can further establish your expert status, garner more exposure on other people’s Web sites and blogs, drive visitors to your Web site, and sell more books. Articles published in Article Directories are a great way to promote your platform without spending a dime.

There are thousands of newsletters and blogs that need new, fresh content to publish. Article Directories are clearing houses where you can post articles about your niche topic. Newsletter editors and bloggers search these by topic and publish what interests them.

To take advantage of this advertising channel, first write a short article (400-1000 words) that includes a “resource box.” Resource boxes are those brief biography paragraphs at the end of online articles about the author. Make sure your resource box includes a URL (web address) that links to your Web site. The combination of a well-written article and resource box builds your credibility and drives traffic to your Web site.

Here are a few content suggestions. Choose content from your book that stands well on its own and turn that into an article. Outline one of your book chapters and create a Top 10 list with brief explanations of your ten points. Don’t forget that resource box.

Second, make your articles available to editors and bloggers for publication. If you have an established relationship, you can submit your work directly to newsletter editors and bloggers. For more extensive reach, submit your work to any of the hundreds of Article Directories. Danielle Hollister maintains a comprehensive list of directories at Bella Online.

While you’ll maintain your copyright, you won’t be paid for articles published through directories in cash. But when newsletter editors and bloggers publish your content the benefit you receive is click-link advertising that can help reinforce your credibility and expert status with your book-buying audience.

Gregory A. Kompes (www.Kompes.com) is a writer, speaker, mentor and coach. He is the author of the #1 bestseller 50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live, The Endorsement Quest, Turning Your Writing Hobby into a Writing Career, and The Everyday Gay Activist. Gregory is the editor of The Fabulist Flash, an informative newsletter for writers, founder of LAMOO Books, and Coordinator of the Las Vegas Writer’s Conference. The author holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, NY, and is currently a MS in Education candidate at California State University, Eastbay.

Anyone who knows me understands I like my life simple. Most everyone makes that claim, but how well do you follow through? The world is a busy place. Everyone is always coming and going, running and jogging through obligations and deadlines. When are you supposed to sit down and write?

The answer is simple: be a writer–––wherever you are. And no, that doesn’t mean carrying a suitcase of materials. Even when I’m riding with someone to the mall, I have my basic writing tools with me. It’s not hard. And the sooner this practice becomes a habit, the more prolific you’ll become as a writer. Here’s what you’ll need:

Spiral Notebook: Five-by-seven or four-by-six inches, it doesn’t matter. The point is to have something easy to carry and tuck into the glove box, your purse or your briefcase. The spiral feature makes it easier to lay flat and tuck a writing instrument inside for safekeeping throughout your travels. They are cheap, so no excuse; I buy them by the dozen. They’ve even accompanied me to the track where I challenge myself to think of a new editorial for each quarter-mile lap.

Pen: You know the style you like. I like a fine point, blue ink Zebra. I spend more on my pens than my notebooks, because picking up that pen makes me want to write more. I also write in the margins of my books, and this pen makes for better note taking. I use the clip to tuck it away in the notebook.

Non-Fiction, How-to Book: My current one is Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver. If I have more than five minutes but less than 15, I open to my bookmark and study. I don’t like to waste the larger chunks of time reading when I can be writing. so I absorb my how-to material in between the gym, the grocery store and while waiting at the doctor’s office.

Camera (optional): If you have a streak of journalist in you, or you are one who likes to “see” your characters and settings, keep your camera handy. Frankly, you can carry a camera case as easily as a purse, so purchase a case that acts as both.

You can’t get any simpler than that. Not enough time to write? Oh, please.C. Hope Clark is founder and editor of FundsforWriters.com, annually recognized by Writer’s Digest in its poll of 101 Best Web Sites for Writers. She delivers four newsletters each week to thousands with her specialty being grants and income opportunities for writers of all sizes. She’s published over 200 articles on paper and online. Her magazine credits include Writer’s Digest, The Writer Magazine, ByLine Magazine, NextStep Teen, College Bound Teen, Landscape Management Magazine, TURF Magazine, and American Careers Magazine. Hope is a motivational soul known as “Freelance Hope” in many circles. Those reluctant to promote their writing cherish her trade paperback The Shy Writer: An Introvert’s Guide to Writing Success. Find more hope for your writing career at www.fundsforwriters.com & www.theshywriter.com.

Because I’ll be on maternity leave from “Ask Wendy” for the rest of the year, I’m using the opportunity to share publishing advice from other authors. This column includes answers from Steve Burt, author of 13 books, including Activating Leadership in the Small Church, A Christmas Dozen: Christmas Stories to Warm the Heart, and the Stories to Chill the Heart series. (burtcreations.com)

Wendy: What was your first big break?

Steve: My first “break” was a triple-header week in the early 1980s. I was a seminarian and a student pastor and so submitted articles related to my field. That week’s mail brought three acceptances and much encouragement. Upper Room devotional guide took a daily meditation ($10 and a free subscription); Pulpit Digest ran a sermon of mine free (but it made my publish-or-perish professors jealous); Your Church magazine took a how-we-did-it article on small church planning retreats ($35). After that came Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, Chicken Soup for the Soul series pieces, and hundreds of articles, poems, stories, and books (non-fiction church leadership books as well as popular fiction), which earned me many awards including three Ray Bradbury prizes, a Benjamin Franklin Award (mystery/suspense), and the world’s top horror prize, the Bram Stoker (for young readers).

Wendy: What’s your best advice for beginning writers?

Steve: My advice to beginners goes against conventional wisdom. Try writing in a few different areas, and publish wherever you can, including no-pay and low-pay markets. My weird tales first appeared in small low-pay/no-pay ghost and horror magazines that were labors of love by their writer/editors who usually lost money publishing out of their garages. But those freebies of mine appeared in England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and the USA, usually earning me just a contributor’s copy.

However, because they only needed one-time rights, it meant I could publish a story in several non-competing magazines. Some won prizes or earned honorable mentions in the Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror anthologies. When it came time to produce my first collection, Odd Lot: Stories to Chill the Heart, I simply drew together reprints of those small-press stories—and the self-published book won the Publisher’s Marketing Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award (silver, mystery/suspense) as well as a Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award (honorable mention, horror).

The sequel, Even Odder, was a mix of small-press reprints plus some new originals—and it was a runner-up to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the Bram Stoker Award, arguably the world’s top horror prize. The next, Oddest Yet, beat Dean Koontz and tied Clive Barker to actually win the Stoker. And the fourth, Wicked Odd, was an honorable mention for the Ippy (Independent Publisher) Award. The books have sold very well, but I wouldn’t have made much money or gotten the big awards if I had held out for only paying markets early on.

Articles, books, greeting cards, oh my! Wendy Burt is a successful full-time freelance writer and editor who has more than doubled her income since leaving her job as a newspaper editor just three years ago. With two women’s humor books for McGraw-Hill and more than 1,000 published pieces, Wendy’s typical day might including writing ad copy, greeting cards, health articles, personal profiles or her marketing column for Her Business magazine. Her work has appeared in such varied publications as Family Circle, The Writer, MSNBC.com, NewYorkTimes.com, Home Cooking Magazine and American Fitness. Wendy teaches “Breaking Into Freelance Writing” and still finds ample time to spend with her beautiful baby, Gracie. Visit www.BurtCreations.com to see books by Wendy and her award-winning dad. More info at www.WendyBurt-Thomas.com.

We’re moving! Writers on the Rise archives have been here for years. I hope that WordPress will let the archive live on for a good long time. However, it’s time to move on, bittersweet as change may be. Please come and find me at my new digs: http://christinakatz.com. And while we’re both thinking of it, […]

A great summary of pointers to where to get future work published. This is of great value because it was only after getting my first novel published in May 2009 that I found out the writing is the easy bit. Getting it out there and earning money from it is the more difficult part. Thanks again.